The Germans began with 1 schutzen, HMGs, artillery, and the 8.8s on the board. The British began with both motor platoons, the artillery, and the HMGs.

The 25 pounders cover the British right flank and right objective.

Motor Infantry deploy along the left, covering the British left objective.

German HMGs deploy on high ground

8.8s deploy behind a hill crest, with a German objective immediately behind.

German Schutzen deploy in the center

10.5cm Battery deploys on the British Right.

One of the 25 pounder battery digs in, but the other fails

British Motor infantry move into a small copse of woods

Schutzen move out

The 25 pounders fire a murder on the 10.5cm battery, knocking out one gun

The early turns see very little maneuver, as both companies dig in and wait for reserves.

A second barrage knocks out a 3rd gun, neutering the battery.

The first reserves arrive, and a Grant platoon takes cover in a small wood.

German schutzen reserves arrive

The new reserves stormtrooper into the woods, beginning a many turn standoff

The women and children watch a movie while the battle rages

The British push forward

The standoff begins. It lasts many turns.

British scouts arrive from reserve

The British capture almost all of the buildings

The Grants go to ground, afraid to move forward with the sound of diesel engines in the distance

The Panzer III Ns finally arrive, racing forward, guns blazing.

The Schutzen also arrives, both reserves exactly where the Germans need them

A barrage from the German 105s, and the 75mms of the Panzer IIIs knock out 1 Grant.

In a rush of excitement, the second platoon of Grants arrive from reserve, and race to the Panzers' flanks, as the 25 pounders fire a murder and the other grants open up from their position in the trees. Unfortunately, only a single Panzer III is destroyed.

The Grants fire from a concealed position.

Humbers arrive from reserve

The panzer IIIs scoot back behind the fresh Grants, knocking one out and bailing the other two. Unfortunately, the British then fail their morale check losing two perfectly good tanks!

The Germans prepare to assault the British! But failing to pin the infantry, the Germans think better of it and stormtrooper away.

25 pounders continue barraging the freshly arrived Germans, but just can't knock out any more panzers.

The British scout patrol knocks out another 10.5cm gun, and the staff team. The 1 remaining gun and battery commander stick around.

25 pounders knock out an armored car

25 pounders soften up the infantry, and knock out an HMG.

In a very bold move, Jaime sends the Panzer IIIs into the wood where the Grants had receded, and despite the Grants being gone to ground, one is destroyed and the other is bailed.

The British are in a perfect position to knock out the German stronghold that keeps them from the objective. Recon lifts gone to ground, and the observer has 4 chances to bring all 8 guns in on a murder. But the dice gods turn their back on me, and the 25 pounders fail to range in!

Because Jaime is on my other objective, I decide the time for action is now. The Motor infantry assaults, but unsurprisingly, they are pinned by defensive fire.

At this point we've been playing for hours and Jaime has the clear advantage. I don't think my chances were impossible, but Jaime was in a great position.

Outplayed by a n00b!Jaime's going to be a great player, I can't wait to battle it out with him again!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Just a few pictures from a 1000 pt test battle between Joe (Germans) and Sean (British).

The game didn't really get resolved since Joe had to head home early, but both players learned a lot. The Germans lost one infantry platoon, and the brits lost their tanks.

More pics after the break!

British Artillery

Panzergrenadiers move out

The British dig in and hold their objective

More artillery after taking fire from the German artillery

Panzer IIIs sneak around a plateau

The British move out

Panzer IIIs

The British artillery continues to get hammered

And is nearly pummeled to dust

Unfortunately that was all the pictures I got. The brits fended off a German assault, and proved they truly are "British bulldogs!". Sean learned some valuable lessons namely, don't double time your Grants when Panzer IIIs are about, and spread out on deployment!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I whipped together a very lightweight "campaign" to give some structure to games I'm doing for some newcomers.

Here's the map, and the lightweight rules are after the break. Individual battle reports will be posted as the campaign moves along.

The Campaign rules are going to be very simple. The Allies have 10 turns to capture Tunis, capturing a vast amount of axis men and equipment, and expediting an assault on Europe!

There are two "axes of attack" One for the Americans, and one for the British. The allies are also competing with each other to be the first to enter Tunis.

Each location on the map requires 6 accumulated victory points to be captured by the allies. The axis can never capture locations, but only stall the inevitable. If they last to campaign turn 11, the axis win, allowing time to regroup and supplies to arrive prolonging the north african campaign and further delaying an assault on Europe.

INDIVIDUAL BATTLES- Each location has a writeup of historical information, special rules, and forces to be used. Both the special rules AND forces to be used are *only* for the first battle fought there. Subsequent battles will have no special rules, and forces can be of any appropriate type.

Victory points are per the standard scoring scheme.

Notes: *Although the Germans can never capture locations, in many individual battles they can still be the attacker in the scenario. Germans are very good at achieving the tactical initiative, but their supplies are very thin and thus lack the ability to recapture the strategic initiative.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

This is the first full game of FOW I've hosted at my place, though I've played every day since Sunday! On sunday Joe and I had a 1000 pt skirmish to show him the ropes. Both Monday and Tuesday my good friends Jaime, Sean, and Dallas came by to learn the game. I think they are all thoroughly enjoying it, and I'm doing my best to get them hooked!

Anyhow, this was my first ever outing with (borrowed) soviets. I can't wait to paint up a soviet army of my own!

The mission was Hasty Attack. In Hasty attack 3 objectives are placed in the defender's half of the board (one is removed after deployment), and one objective is placed on the attacker's side of the board.

View of the board from the soviet side. All 4 objectives are visible. After deployment, the central objective was removed.

The Soviet right.

The soviets elect to deploy one Strelkovy, while putting the emchas in immediate ambush.

Even the attacker gets to begin this mission in prepared positions. Tom chooses to put his Panzer IVs, Marders, and Nebelwerfers on the board, while holding all of the 38(t)s in reserve.

The Panzer IVs and Marders

The Marders begin in the woods

The emchas spring their immediate ambush aggressively far forward.

The emchas double time towards the nebelwerfers

German reserves arrive, and the rest of the army shifts towards the emchas

More German reserves arrive. 38(t)s rush to the emchas' flanks, while Panzer IVs and marders snipe from a distance.

The Soviets MG the remaining nebelwerfers, running the platoon.

emcha casualties begin mounting.

So much German armor!

The second strelkovy company arrives from reserves and double times up the left flank! Honestly, this was a terrible idea. To be honest I only put them there because I didn't want to get all the stands mixed up. I have to get used to units with 30+ stands if I want to play soviets!

The 38(t)s begin moving forward and taking pot shots at the strelkovy.

The horde marches on.

The Panzers sit and blast away

Casualties begin mounting

The Shermans strike, knocking out one Marder and bailing another.

The Germans redeploy.

Onward brave soldiers of the motherland!

The soviet high water mark

The Soviets final push!

They knock out the Panzer 38(t) and the Marder II. At this point the new platoon leader of the Marder IIs becomes the bailed out guy, but I remembered later that for mission tactics to work you have to be in command range. Oh well- moot point, just figured I'd mention it here so we can all learn!

The shermans fail motivation and run away after the panzer IVs crash into the woods and blaze away. Pity!

The 38(t)s line up and blaze away.

Though the Germans are pretty much guaranteed victory at this point, they decide to charge for fun!

Several soviet stands and one 38(t) fall.

Despite still having 50 or so stands of infantry, we decide to call the game at this point.

Tom is left with something like 11 38(t)s, a marder, and 2 Panzer IVs. He's in no danger of being pushed off my side of the board (I can't possibly get through that defensive fire), and really has no reason to assault unless he's feeling chivalrous. So we call it a 4-3. Not too bad for my first outing with Soviets!

I think I need to learn how to use the infantry and SU-85s right. I think I used the Shermans very well though. All in all I like soviets so far!